Teen Family Trip to New Zealand

Start your family trip to New Zealand in Auckland. We’ve chosen a centrally located waterfront hotel, just steps from the buzzing energy of Viaduct Harbour. Nap off some jet lag or explore this walkable district. In the afternoon, get fired up on an All Blacks Experience guided tour. Through interactive and immersive exhibits (including an earth-shaking haka performance), you’ll learn about the profound connection rugby shares with Māori and Pasifika culture. 

Spend the day sailing around Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, a collective of 50 small, protected islands. Aboard a shared catamaran, your family writes saltwater memories cruising turquoise waters hemmed by rugged coast and pocketed beaches. Screens forgotten, kayak or stand-up paddle in secretive coves, take a guided walk on Waiheke Island to discover wonderous flora, help skipper Bruce trim the sails, and savor a gourmet lunch served with sea views.

En route to Rotorua, make a Middle Earth detour. Step into Lord of the Rings cinematic fantasy at the Hobbiton Movie Set for a guided tour of the Shire™ and a Hobbit Hole™. After settling into your lodge, a glow worm caves kayaking adventure awaits. Guided by twilight, paddle into hidden grottoes illuminated by thousands of tiny glow worms. The phenomenon is ethereal: a constellation of turquoise bioluminescence cloaked in darkness. 

Feel your pulse race while ziplining on a Rotorua Canopy Tour. Guides decipher the ancient forest’s unique flora including glowing fungi. Later, enter the staff-only rooms of the National Kiwi Hatchery. Swoon for these vulnerable flightless birds during a conservation experience that will pull on your heartstrings. End the day zorbing. Tumbling down a twisting hillside track, it’s a belly-laughing, wet ride that no one in the family will soon forget. 

Start your day at steaming Hell’s Gate, a geothermal hotspot where Māori warriors once soaked battle-worn bodies. Slather yourself head-to-toe in therapeutic mud and then soak in sulphur-rich pools. Later, inspect the curious flora that thrives in this Earth-warmed ecosystem and sample food prepared in a cooking pool—a Māori culinary technique. In the afternoon, your family pedals through towering redwoods and Jurassic-size ferns on a freewheeling mountain bike tour. 

Fly to funky Wellington. We’ve left this day intentionally open—a blank canvas for your family to explore at your own pace. You'll be situated in a superb location within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants, and entertainment. Wander the Harbor, perhaps visit the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, ride the historic funicular to Kelburn Summit, stroll the Botanic Gardens, or hike up Mt. Victoria Lookout for panoramic views. 

A privately guided, full-day adventure draws your family into the pristine lowland rainforest of Kaitoke Regional Park. If the lush, river-thread surrounds seems mythical, you’re right. This is where Rivendell scenes were filmed for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Forest walks, a historic summit stop, and the 253-step Cape Palliser Lighthouse are memorable bookmarks. Snack on artisanal cheese, honey and chocolate to savor regional flavors.  

Arrive by water taxi at Furneaux Lodge, a remote, family-owned homestead framed by the green-blue waters of Marlborough Sounds. Pass splendid days following forested trails, hiking sections of the Queen Charlotte Track, kayaking in calm inlets, spotting glow worms by torchlight, or soaking in a hot tub beneath southern stars. With no roads in or out, it’s a chance to slow down, reconnect, and embrace the rhythms of the wild. 

Board the Coastal Pacific Train for a postcard-pretty train journey to Christchurch. Pressed against the Pacific Ocean by cliffs that give rise to the Kaikōura Ranges, this route wends through a kaleidoscope of landscapes. (Keep a lookout for whales.) Spend a quiet night in a boutique Christchurch hotel just steps from Hagley Park. At Riverside Market, a myriad of mouthwatering vendors means everyone can pick their own dinner.  

Fly to Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital, to end your family journey on a buzzing adrenaline high. Settle into Hotel St Moritz, an alpine-styled boutique hotel overlooking Lake Wakatipu with sweeping views of The Remarkables. The afternoon is yours to enjoy—perhaps ride the Skyline Gondola to Bob’s Peak for commanding city views, or explore Arrowtown, a gold rush–era living settlement with storybook streets. 

Today is a memory maker. Board a jetboat to zoom up the Shotover River, passing rocky outcrops at breathtaking speeds, twisting through narrow canyons, and holding tight for thrilling 360° spins. In the afternoon, take to the skies for a cinematic helicopter flight to admire Mt. Aspiring, Fiordland National Park, and Milford Sound in breathtaking widescreen. Glide by sheer cliffs and waterfalls before soaring back across the Southern Alps to Queenstown.

Sail across Lake Wakatipu on a steamship to arrive at Walter Peak Farm to experience High Country life. Enjoy a barbecue of Central Otago flavors, followed by a sheepdog demonstration. Later, visit the Nevis Swing. Suspended 500 feet above a river, this “big, bad, and loud” swing catapults you along a 985-foot arc. This hair-raising adrenaline rush is an exclamation point at the end of your family trip to New Zealand.

A driver collects your family for a private transfer to Queenstown Airport to continue your onward journey or to board your international flight home.